Noise attenuation trim assembly

ABSTRACT

A control valve trim assembly has a body having an annular first section and a longitudinally adjacent annular second section and defines an inner surface and an outer surface. A plurality of first openings are formed in the inner surface of the first section of the body and a plurality of second openings are formed in the outer surface of the first section of the body. Each of the first openings is in fluid communication with a corresponding second opening via a fluid passage formed through the body, which passes through the first section and the second section and each of the fluid passages has at least one radially extending portion and at least one longitudinally extending portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/660,249, entitled “Noise Attenuation Trim Assembly” and filed on Jul.26, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to control valves and, morespecifically, to improved noise attenuation trim assemblies for controlvalves.

BACKGROUND

In typical control valves, a trim assembly, such as a valve cage orvalve cage and cage retainer, may provide guidance for a valve plug asthe valve plug moves from a closed position in which the valve plugsealingly engages a valve seat to an open position in which the valveplug is disposed away from the valve seat. When the control valve is inthe open position, fluid flows from an inlet, passes through a passagebetween the valve seat and the valve plug, passes through the trimassembly, and exits through an outlet. In addition to guiding the valveplug, a trim assembly can also be used for additional functions, such asnoise attenuation.

The principles typically used to attenuate noise in a control valveusing a trim assembly are: reduced jet size, staged pressure reduction,optimal low high and low pressure recovery, jet independence, and peakfrequency shifting. However, due to manufacturing limitations,implementation of as many of these principles as possible was performedlinearly, in series, and was primarily limited to radially planegeometry and required large outer diameter trim assemblies and wide trimassembly cross sections.

Referring to FIG. 1, a typical control valve 10 is shown. Control valve10 generally includes a valve body 12 having an inlet 14, an outlet 16,and a passageway 18 disposed between inlet 14 and outlet 16. A valveseat 24 is disposed in passageway 18 between inlet 14 and outlet 16 anda solid trim assembly 22 is disposed within valve body 12. A fluidcontrol member, such as valve plug 26, is positioned within valve body12 and is disposed within trim assembly 22. Valve plug 26 interacts withthe valve seat 24 to control or modulate fluid flow through the valvebody 12 of control valve 10, such that valve plug 26 sealingly engagesvalve seat 24 in a closed position and is spaced away from valve seat 24in an open position. A stem 28 is connected to valve plug 26 at one endand to an actuator 30 at another end. Actuator 30 controls movement ofvalve plug 26 within trim assembly 22. Trim assembly 22 is positionedadjacent valve seat 24 and proximate valve plug 26 to provide guidancefor valve plug 26.

In traditional applications, trim assembly 22 has a plurality ofradially extending passages 20 formed through a circumferential wall oftrim assembly 22, which are used to attenuate the noise produced as thefluid passes through trim assembly 22. Passages 20 are spacedspecifically such that the jets of fluid that are produced as the fluidexits passages 20 do not converge and produce aerodynamic noise. Trimassemblies 22 used in these types of fluid applications are typicallyused in a “flow up” orientation (e.g., the fluid enters the center oftrim assembly 22 and passes from an inner surface to an outer surface oftrim assembly 22) and the spacing of passages 20 that is crucial toreduce the aerodynamic noise is on the outer surface of trim assembly22. The spacing of passages 20 on the inner surface of trim assembly 22can also be important, as this spacing is used to keep sufficient spacebetween passages 20 to not allow flow to pass through more passages 20than desired for accurate flow characteristics throughout the travel ofvalve plug 26.

For solid trim assemblies 22 used in fluid applications where theprocess conditions produce aerodynamic noise as the fluid flows throughcontrol valve 11, drilled holes through the circumferential wall of trimassembly 22 are typically used to form passages 20. However,implementation of multiple noise attenuation principles, such as reducedjet size, staged pressure reduction, optimal low high and low pressurerecovery, jet independence, and peak frequency shifting, is severelylimited due to limitations of this manufacturing technique.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In accordance with one exemplary aspect of the present invention, acontrol valve trim assembly includes a solid, one-piece unitary bodyhaving an inner surface and an outer surface. A plenum is formed withinthe body and is spaced apart from the inner surface and the outersurface. A plurality of first openings are formed in the inner surfaceof the body and each of the first openings is in fluid communicationwith the plenum via a corresponding first fluid passage formed throughthe body. A plurality of second openings are formed in the outer surfaceof the body and each of the second openings is in fluid communicationwith the plenum via a corresponding second fluid passage through thebody.

In further accordance with any one or more of the foregoing exemplaryaspects of the present invention, a control valve trim assembly mayfurther include, in any combination, any one or more of the followingpreferred forms.

In one preferred form, the control valve trim assembly further comprisesa baffle positioned within the plenum, the baffle extending into theplenum between the first and second fluid passages.

In another preferred form, each of the first and second fluid passageshas at least one radially extending portion and at least onelongitudinally extending portion.

In another preferred form, the plurality of first and second openingsare formed in a first section of the body and the plenum is formed in asecond section of the body, longitudinally adjacent to the firstportion.

In another preferred form, the plenum is annular.

In another preferred form, at least one surface of the plenum, oppositethe first and second fluid passages, is arcuate.

In another preferred form, a control valve includes the control valvetrim assembly and further comprises a valve body, a valve seat, and avalve plug. The valve body has in inlet and an outlet and the valve seatis positioned in a passageway of the valve body between the inlet andthe outlet. The valve plug is positioned within the valve body and ismoveable between an opened position and a closed position to modulatethe flow of a fluid through the control valve and the control valve trimassembly is disposed within the valve body adjacent the valve seat andproximate the valve plug.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect of the present invention, acontrol valve trim assembly includes a body having an annular firstsection and a longitudinally adjacent annular second section and definesan inner surface and an outer surface. A plenum is formed within thesecond section of the body and is spaced apart from the inner surfaceand the outer surface. A plurality of first openings are formed in theinner surface of the first section of the body and each of the firstopenings is in fluid communication with the plenum via a correspondingfirst fluid passage formed through the body. A plurality of secondopenings are formed in the outer surface of first section of the bodyand each of the second openings is in fluid communication with theplenum via a corresponding second fluid passage through the body.

In further accordance with any one or more of the foregoing exemplaryaspects of the present invention, a control valve trim assembly mayfurther include, in any combination, any one or more of the followingpreferred forms.

In one preferred form, the body is a solid, one-piece unitary body.

In another preferred form, the first section comprises a cage and thesecond section comprises a cage retainer connected to the cage.

In another preferred form, the control valve trim assembly furthercomprises a baffle positioned within the plenum and extending into theplenum between the first and second fluid passages.

In another preferred form, each of the first and second fluid passageshas at least one radially extending portion and at least onelongitudinally extending portion.

In another preferred form, the plenum is annular.

In another preferred form, at least one surface of the plenum, oppositethe first and second fluid passages, is arcuate.

In another preferred form, a control valve includes the control valvetrim assembly and further comprises a valve body, a valve seat, and avalve plug. The valve body has in inlet and an outlet and the valve seatis positioned in a passageway of the valve body between the inlet andthe outlet. The valve plug is positioned within the valve body and ismoveable between an opened position and a closed position to modulatethe flow of a fluid through the control valve and the control valve trimassembly is disposed within the valve body adjacent the valve seat andproximate the valve plug.

In accordance with yet another exemplary aspect of the presentinvention, a control valve trim assembly includes a body having anannular first section and a longitudinally adjacent annular secondsection and defines an inner surface and an outer surface. A pluralityof first openings are formed in the inner surface of the first sectionof the body and a plurality of second openings formed in the outersurface of the first section of the body. Each of the first openings isin fluid communication with a corresponding second opening via a fluidpassage formed through the body, which passes through the first sectionand the second section. Each of the fluid passages has at least oneradially extending portion and at least one longitudinally extendingportion.

In further accordance with any one or more of the foregoing exemplaryaspects of the present invention, a control valve trim assembly mayfurther include, in any combination, any one or more of the followingpreferred forms.

In one preferred form, the body is a solid, one-piece unitary body.

In another preferred form, the first section of the body is a cage andthe second section of the body is a cage retainer connected to the cage.

In another preferred form, each of the fluid passages comprises avariable cross-sectional area.

In another preferred form, a control valve includes the control valvetrim assembly and further comprises a valve body, a valve seat, and avalve plug. The valve body has an inlet and an outlet and the valve seatis positioned in a passageway of the valve body between the inlet andthe outlet. The valve plug is positioned within the valve body and ismovable between an opened position and a closed position to modulate theflow of a fluid through the control valve and the trim assembly isdisposed within the valve body adjacent the valve seat and proximate thevalve plug.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example control valve;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example trim assembly that can beused with the control valve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the trim assembly of FIG. 2 takenalong the line A-A in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second example trim assembly that canbe sued with the control valve of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the trim assembly of FIG. 4 takenalong the line B-B in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The control valve trim assemblies disclosed herein can be used in anyfluid application, such as liquid or gas applications, and provideimproved noise attenuation characteristics over traditional solid trimassembly designs by implementing multiple different noise attenuationprinciples and exploiting the dead-space not currently used intraditional designs. Some advantages of the trim assemblies are improvednoise attenuation and smaller part size/cross section, which can lead tobetter flow vs. noise attenuation capability. In addition, positioning aplenum in the dead-space in the top of the trim assembly, which istypically not used by traditional designs, allows for a narrowercross-section and provides additional staging and drag on the fluid dueto elongated fluid passages through the trim assembly, which providesmore pressure drop.

Referring to FIGS. 2-3, one example of a control valve trim assembly 100is shown that can be used with the control valve 10 described above andshown in FIG. 1. Trim assembly 100 can be manufactured using AdditiveManufacturing Technology, such as direct metal laser sintering, fullmelt powder bed fusion, etc. Using an Additive Manufacturing Technologyprocess, the 3-dimensional design of trim assembly 100 is divided intomultiple layers, for example layers approximately 20-50 microns thick. Apowder bed, such as a powder based metal, is then laid down representingthe first layer of the design and a laser or electron beam sinterstogether the design of the first layer. A second powder bed,representing the second layer of the design, is then laid down over thefirst sintered layer and the second layer is sintered together. Thiscontinues layer after layer to form the completed trim assembly 100.

Using an Additive Manufacturing Technology process to manufacture trimassemblies for control valves allows the freedom to have plenums withinthe body of the trim assemblies, produce passages having elongatedlengths and various shapes and geometries, and other feature describedbelow, that are not possible using current standard casting or drillingtechniques.

As shown in FIGS. 2-3, trim assembly 100 generally includes acircumferential body 102 forming a hollow central bore 112, within whichvalve plug 26 will slide to control fluid flow through trim assembly100. Body 102 defines a first end 104, an opposing second end 106, aninner surface 108, and an opposing outer surface 110. Using an AdditiveManufacturing Technology, as discussed above, body 102 can be a solid,one-piece unitary body that defines an annular first section 114, whichin the orientation shown in FIGS. 2-3 would be a lower portion of trimassembly 100, and an annular second section 116 longitudinally adjacentfirst section 114, which in the orientation shown in FIGS. 2-3 would bean upper portion of trim assembly 100. Second section 116 or the upperportion of trim assembly 100 can also be called a guide portion andcould be used to guide valve plug 26 when moving between open and closedpositions. Alternatively, first section 114 and second section 116 oftrim assembly 100 could be separate solid parts. For example, firstsection 114 could be a cage and second section 116 a cage retainer thatcan be connected the cage/first section 114.

A plenum 120 is formed within body 102, internal to body 102, and isspaced apart from inner surface 108, outer surface 110, first end 104,and second end 106 of body 102. Plenum 120 is preferably annular.Alternatively, plenum 120 could also consist of multiple adjacent,circumferentially extending plenums as well. In the example shown,plenum 120 is formed in second section 116 of body 102, which wastypically dead-space that was not utilized in prior designs. In theparticular example shown in FIGS. 2-3, a baffle 122 can extend partiallyinto plenum 120 and a surface 124 of plenum 120 can be arcuate to assistin fluid flow through plenum 120, as discussed in more detail below. Amultitude a variations can be made to the size of plenum 120, thesurface texture, the shape, and the size and shape of baffle 122 tofurther optimize noise attenuation.

A plurality of first openings 130 are formed in the inner surface 108 ofbody 102 and can be used as either inlets or outlets for trim assembly100, depending on if control valve 10 has a “flow up” (flow from innersurface 108 to outer surface 110) or “flow down” (flow from outersurface 110 to inner surface 108) configuration. Each first opening 130is in fluid communication with plenum 120 through a corresponding firstfluid passage 132, which are formed through body 102 and extend betweenfirst openings 130 and plenum 120. In the example shown, first openings130 are formed in first section 114 of body 102 and first fluid passages132 have a first portion 134 that extends radially through body 102 anda second portion 136 that extends longitudinally through body 102.Pressure of the fluid flow through first fluid passages 132 is reducedvia drag from the passage walls. Additional direct pressure drop stagingcan be also applied with fixed reductions/expansions within first fluidpassages 132. First fluid passages 132 can have any cross-sectionalshape, varying cross-section shapes and/or sizes, multiple directionchanges, etc. to characterize the fluid flow through first fluidpassages 132 as desired.

A plurality of second openings 140 are formed in the outer surface 110of body 102 and can be used as either inlets or outlets for trimassembly 100, depending on if control valve 10 has a “flow up” or “flowdown” configuration. Each second opening 140 is in fluid communicationwith plenum 120 through a corresponding second fluid passage 142, whichare formed through body 102 and extend between second openings 140 andplenum 120. In the example shown, second openings 140 are also formed infirst section 114 of body 102 and second fluid passages 142 have a firstportion 144 that extends radially through body 102 and a second portion146 that extends longitudinally through body 102. Pressure of the fluidflow through second fluid passages 142 is reduced via drag from thepassage walls. Additional direct pressure drop staging can be alsoapplied with fixed reductions/expansions within second fluid passages142. Second fluid passages 142 can have any cross-sectional shape,varying cross-section shapes and/or sizes, multiple direction changes,etc. to characterize the fluid flow through second fluid passages 142 asdesired.

As mentioned above, baffle 122 can be positioned within plenum 120 toassist in fluid flow through plenum 120 and further direct and extendthe fluid flow length. Baffle 122 can extend into plenum 120 and bepositioned between first fluid passages 132 and second fluid passages142 to separate the fluid flowing into and out of plenum 120. If plenum120 is annular, baffle 122 can also be annular or can consist ofmultiple circumferential baffles positioned within plenum 120 asdesired. If plenum 120 consists of multiple adjacent, circumferentialplenums, each adjacent plenum can have a separate baffle or multiplebaffles as desired. In addition, plenum 120 can also have an arcuatesurface 124 that is opposite first and second fluid passages 132, 142and baffle 122 to further assist in fluid flow through plenum 120 and toreduce areas where eddies and backpressures can form.

In operation, fluid enters first openings 130 or second openings 140,depending on the flow configuration of control valve 10, and flowsthrough either first fluid passages 132 or second fluid passages 142 toplenum 120. Upon entering plenum 120, the fluid from first or secondfluid passages 132, 142 expands/dissipates into plenum 120 and coalesceswith the fluid from the other active first or second fluid passages 132,142. The fluid then exits plenum 120 into the other of the first orsecond fluid passages 132, 142, depending on the flow configuration ofcontrol valve 10, further reducing pressure in a similar manner. Thefluid then exits trim assembly 100 from the other of first or secondopenings 130, 140.

Referring to FIGS. 4-5, a second example of a control valve trimassembly 200 is shown that can be used with the control valve 10described above and shown in FIG. 1. Trim assembly 200 can also bemanufactured using Additive Manufacturing Technology, as described indetail above.

As shown in FIGS. 4-5, trim assembly 200 generally includes acircumferential body 202 forming a hollow central bore 212, within whichvalve plug 26 will slide to control fluid flow through trim assembly200. Body 202 defines a first end 204, an opposing second end 206, aninner surface 208, and an opposing outer surface 210. Using an AdditiveManufacturing Technology, as discussed above, body 202 can be a solid,one-piece unitary body that defines an annular first section 214, whichin the orientation shown in FIGS. 4-5 would be a lower portion of trimassembly 200, and an annular second section 216 longitudinally adjacentfirst section 214, which in the orientation shown in FIGS. 4-5 would bean upper portion of trim assembly 200. Second section 216 or the upperportion of trim assembly 200 can also be called a guide portion andcould be used to guide valve plug 26 when moving between open and closedpositions. Alternatively, first section 214 and second section 216 oftrim assembly 200 could be separate solid parts. For example, firstsection 1214 could be a cage and second section 216 a cage retainer thatcan be connected the cage/first section 214.

A plurality of first openings 230 are formed in inner surface 208 ofbody 202 and can be used as either inlets or outlets for trim assembly200, depending on if control valve 10 has a “flow up” (flow from innersurface 208 to outer surface 210) or “flow down” (flow from outersurface 210 to inner surface 208) configuration. A plurality of secondopenings 240 are formed in the outer surface 210 of body 202 and can beused as either inlets or outlets for trim assembly 100, opposite offirst openings 230, depending on if control valve 10 has a “flow up” or“flow down” configuration. In the example shown, first and secondopenings 230, 240 are formed in first section 213 of body 202.

Each first opening 230 is in fluid communication with a correspondingsecond opening 240 through a corresponding fluid passage 250, which areformed through body 202 and extend between first openings 230 and secondopenings 240. In the example shown, fluid passages are formed and passthrough both first and second sections 214, 216 of body 202 and have atleast one first portion 252 that extends radially through body 202 andat least one second portion 254 that extends longitudinally through body202. Passages 250 can also have one or more arcuate portions 256 thatinterconnection various linear portions of passages 250. Pressure of thefluid flow through fluid passages 250 is reduced via drag from thepassage walls. Additional direct pressure drop staging can be alsoapplied with fixed reductions/expansions within fluid passages 250.Fluid passages 250 can have any cross-sectional shape, varyingcross-section shapes and/or sizes/areas, multiple direction changes,etc. to characterize the fluid flow through fluid passages 250 asdesired.

In operation, fluid enters first openings 230 or second openings 240,depending on the flow configuration of control valve 10, and flowsthrough fluid passages 250 to the corresponding first or second opening230, 240.

While various embodiments have been described above, this disclosure isnot intended to be limited thereto. Variations can be made to thedisclosed embodiments that are still within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed:
 1. A control valve trim assembly, comprising: a bodyhaving an annular first section and a longitudinally adjacent annularsecond section, the body defining an inner surface and an outer surface;a plurality of first openings formed in the inner surface of the firstsection of the body; and a plurality of second openings formed in theouter surface of the first section of the body; wherein each of thefirst openings is in fluid communication with a corresponding secondopening via a fluid passage formed through the body, the fluid passagespassing through the first section and the second section; and each ofthe fluid passages has at least one radially extending portion and atleast one longitudinally extending portion.
 2. The control valve trimassembly of claim 1, wherein the body is a solid, one-piece unitarybody.
 3. The control valve trim assembly of claim 1, wherein the firstsection of the body is a cage and the second section of the body is acage retainer connected to the cage.
 4. The control valve trim assemblyof claim 1, wherein each of the fluid passages comprises a variablecross-sectional area.
 5. The control valve trim assembly of claim 1,wherein each of the fluid passages has at least one radially extendingportion and at least one longitudinally extending portion.
 6. Thecontrol valve trim assembly of claim 5, wherein each of the fluidpassages has an arcuate portion interconnecting two longitudinallyextending portions.
 7. A control valve including the trim assembly ofclaim 1, the control valve further comprising: a valve body having aninlet and an outlet; a valve seat positioned in a passageway of thevalve body between the inlet and the outlet; and a valve plug positionedwithin the valve body and movable between an opened position and aclosed position to modulate a flow of a fluid through the control valve;wherein the trim assembly is disposed within the valve body adjacent thevalve seat and proximate the valve plug.